{"id":9855,"date":"2026-08-14T19:44:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T19:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/risingstoryusa.com\/?p=9855"},"modified":"2026-08-14T19:44:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T19:44:24","slug":"at-my-husbands-company-gala-he-brushed-past-me-and-told-me-to-leave-while-his-mistress-watched-i-stayed-ten-minutes-later-the-chairman-announced-the-new-majority-owner-and-then-invited-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/risingstoryusa.com\/?p=9855","title":{"rendered":"At my husband\u2019s company gala, he brushed past me and told me to leave while his mistress watched. I stayed. Ten minutes later, the chairman announced the new majority owner and then invited me onto the stage."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJust leave, Claire,\u201d Derek muttered after roughly pushing past me and sending me stumbling against a nearby champagne table. \u201cVanessa is the one who should be beside me tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly two hundred employees stood beneath the glittering chandeliers of the Halcyon Hotel for Aurelia Systems\u2019 twentieth-anniversary celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several people had seen what happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No one said a word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They simply looked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was the kind of influence my husband had built inside the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vanessa Price, Aurelia\u2019s communications director, stood next to him in a fitted red gown. Her hand rested confidently on his arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For months, she had accompanied Derek to conferences, expensive dinners, and supposedly urgent business retreats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tonight, she was also wearing a pair of diamond earrings that had mysteriously disappeared from my jewelry box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vanessa smiled politely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cClaire, perhaps tonight isn\u2019t the best time to create a personal scene.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I steadied myself and adjusted my blue dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo,\u201d I replied. \u201cI think I\u2019ll stay. I\u2019d hate to miss the announcement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek\u2019s expression tightened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For three weeks, he had talked nonstop about the promotion he expected that evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Aurelia\u2019s chief strategy officer, he was convinced the board planned to make him president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And why wouldn\u2019t he?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek believed he controlled everything around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Especially me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During our marriage, he had decided that I was simply a woman living on a modest family inheritance while volunteering for an arts foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He knew my late mother had operated an investment firm in Boston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He simply never cared enough to understand what that firm actually did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe announcement concerns executives,\u201d Derek said coldly. \u201cNot wives who are here for decoration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vanessa laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across the ballroom, Chairman Malcolm Reed caught my eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He touched two fingers to his cuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was the signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Standing beside him were Aurelia\u2019s general counsel and the forensic accountant who had spent six weeks reviewing financial records connected to Derek\u2019s department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I picked up a glass of sparkling water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEnjoy the next ten minutes,\u201d I told Derek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His confidence finally flickered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat exactly does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou\u2019re about to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ballroom lights dimmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Malcolm walked onto the stage and began speaking about Aurelia\u2019s difficult eighteen months\u2014mounting debt, lost contracts, failed expansion plans, and the hundreds of jobs that had nearly disappeared with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek straightened his jacket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was already preparing his victory smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then Malcolm continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTonight, we welcome the investor whose funding protected approximately eight hundred jobs and eliminated Aurelia\u2019s most dangerous debt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek began applauding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe acquisition officially closed this afternoon. Northstar Holdings now controls fifty-eight percent of Aurelia Systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The applause grew louder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then Malcolm looked straight at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPlease welcome Northstar\u2019s founder and Aurelia Systems\u2019 new majority owner\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMs. Claire Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I placed my glass on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then I walked toward the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Behind me, I heard shocked whispers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vanessa immediately removed her hand from Derek\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And my husband stood completely still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For years, Derek had treated my silence like weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was about to learn the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every step toward the stage carried me farther away from the woman Derek believed he had reduced me to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Malcolm shook my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The applause began cautiously, then quickly spread across the ballroom as employees understood what had just happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman Derek had dismissed minutes earlier was now the controlling owner of the company where he worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek finally shouted from the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou own Northstar?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Malcolm immediately stopped him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMr. Hale, you will wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I took the microphone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy mother founded Northstar twenty-seven years ago,\u201d I explained. \u201cWhen her health declined, I took responsibility for its restructuring portfolio under my maiden name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I looked directly at Derek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy husband always knew I worked in finance. He simply never considered my work important enough to ask what I actually did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few nervous laughs moved through the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek didn\u2019t smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I explained that Northstar had begun examining Aurelia after creditors threatened liquidation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company itself was worth saving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It had talented engineers, valuable patents, and loyal employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The problem was not its workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek tried walking toward the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hotel security quietly blocked the aisle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cClaire, come down,\u201d he ordered. \u201cWe can discuss this at home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re going to discuss it here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then I turned toward Vanessa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She quickly stepped farther away from Derek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI wasn\u2019t involved in whatever happened between you two,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCorrect,\u201d I replied. \u201cBut you were involved in nineteen questionable invoices from a consulting company registered to your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The confidence disappeared from her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Six weeks earlier, while reviewing Aurelia\u2019s financial records before the acquisition, I had discovered repeated \u201cmarket access\u201d expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every payment had been carefully kept below the amount that required direct board approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company receiving the money had no real staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Its address was connected to Vanessa\u2019s brother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And Derek had approved every single invoice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That discovery led auditors further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Corporate funds had paid for luxury hotel stays involving Derek and Vanessa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Expense reports described meetings with clients who had never been present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additional transfers had moved into an account Derek had opened without telling me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I hadn\u2019t confronted either of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had simply expanded the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aurelia\u2019s general counsel placed a thick black folder on the lectern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek stared at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou investigated me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo,\u201d I replied. \u201cI performed due diligence on a company Northstar was purchasing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou used our marriage to destroy my future!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I shook my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou used your executive position for your own benefit while hundreds of employees worried about losing their jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Behind me, the screens changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A timeline appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Approvals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hotel bookings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">False expense claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Financial transfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were no private messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No embarrassing photographs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None were necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The accounting records told the story on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Malcolm then announced that Northstar\u2019s purchase agreement granted immediate governance control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The board had unanimously approved a restructuring plan earlier that afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek\u2019s expected promotion had never existed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He moved toward the stairs again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two security officers stepped forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I closed the folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe ownership announcement is finished,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNow we can discuss what happens to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek pointed toward me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou can\u2019t fire me. My contract guarantees five years of compensation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the first time that night, I smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOnly if you\u2019re dismissed without cause.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aurelia\u2019s general counsel opened the black folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then she calmly read the findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Questionable expense reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Undisclosed conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Improper vendor payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deleted audit correspondence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Misuse of company resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because Aurelia also worked on government-related contracts, the evidence had already been referred to the appropriate investigators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vanessa suddenly grabbed Derek\u2019s sleeve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou told me those invoices couldn\u2019t be traced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek turned sharply toward her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cStop talking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ballroom went silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their own words had just made the situation worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Malcolm began reading the board resolutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek was terminated for cause effective immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His unvested company equity was canceled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aurelia would seek repayment of bonuses tied to inaccurate financial results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vanessa was suspended pending further proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both lost access to company systems and property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The security director approached Derek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYour badge, please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek stared at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou planned this whole humiliation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo,\u201d I replied. \u201cYou created it yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I reminded him that I had asked about Vanessa repeatedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He lied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had asked about unexplained spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He mocked me and said I didn\u2019t understand corporate finance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And minutes earlier, he had tried to make me leave the very event where he expected to become company president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The difference was that this time, I stopped protecting him from his own choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hotel security documented the confrontation from earlier in the evening, and several witnesses provided statements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek insisted it was merely a private disagreement between husband and wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I didn\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I simply allowed professionals to handle it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vanessa attempted to leave through another part of the hotel, but company investigators informed her that her work devices had to remain available under a legal preservation order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before leaving, she turned toward me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe told me you were nobody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I looked at her calmly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd you chose to believe him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek left the hotel before dessert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Employees silently moved aside as he passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But their silence felt different now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was no longer fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My divorce petition was filed the following Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our prenuptial agreement protected Northstar and the assets I had inherited from my mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the following months, the financial investigation continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek eventually faced serious consequences related to the company\u2019s missing funds and repaid part of what Aurelia had lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vanessa cooperated with investigators, but her professional career at the company was over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aurelia recovered additional money through civil action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of that changed what Derek had done to our marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it gave the company a chance to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One year later, Aurelia was profitable again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Employee bonuses returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The apprenticeship program reopened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Departments that had faced layoffs began hiring again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And when we selected Aurelia\u2019s next president, we promoted someone who had spent years designing the company\u2019s products rather than someone obsessed with appearing powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the next anniversary celebration, I stood beneath the same chandeliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ballroom looked almost identical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But my life didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was no wedding ring on my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No Derek beside me telling me where I belonged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No Vanessa wearing something taken from my home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Malcolm handed me the microphone, and hundreds of employees applauded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the applause wasn\u2019t what mattered most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Peace was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Derek once accused me of stealing his future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I never took anything that belonged to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I simply stopped allowing him to take mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cJust leave, Claire,\u201d Derek muttered after roughly pushing past me and sending me stumbling against a nearby champagne table. \u201cVanessa is the one who should be beside me tonight.\u201d Nearly &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9856,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-story"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 5.0.5 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cJust leave, Claire,\u201d Derek muttered after roughly pushing past me and sending me stumbling 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